https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-20/opal-fossils-that-introduced-a-new-species-from-the-deep-past/12798212
The opal fossils that changed a miner’s life and introduced a new species from Australia’s deep past.
Under the table lamp in the cool, air-conditioned room, Dr Bell knew right away that these opals, flashing with blues and pinks, were unique.
“It was still kind of dirty still had a lot of rock adhering to the surface of it,” he recalled.
“I saw not only the beautiful colour in these two pieces of bone, but also the teeth.
“And it was obvious we were looking at the jawbone of a dinosaur.”“It’s a new species. They have proved beyond scientific doubt that it’s a previously undiscovered animal — a new Australian dinosaur.”
“I mean, I had two years to think about it,” Mike said.
“I looked at the broader region and was Weewarra. And I knew the source was lizard.”
“I thought, ‘Oh, gee, that’s got a nice ring to it. It kind of rolls off the tongue.
“And the pobeni just comes from Poben, with an ‘i’ on the end.”
The jawbone never ended up in an overseas collector’s trophy case, either. What Dr Bell didn’t realise on their first encounter in that hotel room was how much of a fossil geek Mike really is, and how strongly he felt the fossils needed to stay where they were found.
“They said we’re hoping that you’ll donate it to the museum,” Mike explained. “And I knew right away it was the right thing to do.”
So the opalised Weewarrasaurus pobeni teeth now live at the Australian Opal Centre in Lightning Ridge.
“If you ask me, the thing is priceless,” Dr Bell said. “It’s the only one of its kind on the planet.